In mining environments, escape line systems constructed from ropes or cables have been suspended from the roof of the mines. The purpose of the safety line is to assist miners in escaping from the mine or for rescue personnel to enter the mine in the event that there is a fire, flood, etc., where visibility is limited. Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 depicts the current state-of-the-art mining “escape line” system that is standard throughout the mining industry.
The system consists essentially of an escape line that is made from a rope, string and/or cable that is suspended from the roof of the mine. To use the system, miners grab onto the escape line using their hands and walk towards the exit of the mine. At each of the suspension points, miners remove their hands from the escape line and then grab the line on the other side of the suspension point. Indicators are placed at intervals along the length of the rope which provide miners with a visual and tactile reference point or warning. The indicators may be used to indicate the direction that the miner is traveling. For example, certain indicators are arrow-shaped and the arrow points towards the exit of the mine. Similarly, the indicators may include reflectors, such as green and red reflectors, to indicate that miner is exiting or entering the mine. The indicators may also be used to indicate that a particular location has been reached. For example, it is often understood that consecutive orb-shaped indicators are placed near a branching location where the escape line branches in two or more directions.
This system has, thus far, been a relatively effective means for assisting miners to escape mines when needed. However, there are many areas where the system could be improved. For example, since this system is typically employed in mines and is typically only used during or after a triggering event, the condition of the mine and the miners are typically not well suited for making a quick, safe and organized escape from the mine. Rather, the mine is often dark and the miners have limited vision and may have sustained injuries. The miners' exit is slowed and made more dangerous since they are required to grasp the escape line by hand and because they have to then remove their hands from the line at each suspension point and reflectors.
What is needed, therefore, is an improved escape system for miner egress that overcomes the problems associated with today's escape line systems.
The above and other needs are met by a guidance and signaling system that includes an overhead railway in which one direction along the railway is defined as an ingress direction and an opposite direction along the railway is defined as an egress direction. A protrusion is located on the overhead railway. A trolley is mounted to and configured to move along the overhead railway. The trolley includes a protrusion engaging member that is configured to engage the protrusion of the railway. The protrusion engaging member may be used to selectively prevent the trolley from moving in the ingress direction. The protrusion engaging member moves between a first position where the trolley can be moved past the protrusion in either the ingress direction or the egress direction and a second position where the trolley can be moved past the protrusion in the egress direction only and is stopped by the protrusion when moving in the ingress direction.
In certain cases, a gripping member is located on the trolley that is configured to be gripped by a user to enable the user to move the trolley along the railway. The system may include a plurality of consecutive protrusions disposed along the length of the railway configured to engage with the protrusion engaging member. In certain cases, the overhead railway is formed by a plurality of rails joined end to end to form an intersection and wherein a protrusion is located at each intersection between rails. In certain cases, the protrusion engaging member is biased to the second position by a biasing member so that, by default, the trolley can be moved past the protrusion in the egress direction only and is stopped by the protrusion when moving in the ingress direction. The system may further include a biasing member override that may be used to move the protrusion engaging member from the second position to the first position so that the trolley can be moved past the protrusion in either the ingress direction or the egress direction.
In certain cases, a rescue seat is provided that is configured for suspension from the trolley. The seat includes a seat body having a seat portion and a back portion, one or more adjustable straps having connector ends configured to mount to the trolley and configured to hang beneath the railway, and sleeves in both the seat and back portions configured to receive and position the one or more straps and configured to support a miner seated in the seat.
In certain cases, a passenger board is provided that has a plurality of notches formed therein. The notches in the passenger board are configured to receive one or more straps suspended from the trolley. The one or more straps are configured to support the passenger board in a substantially horizontal orientation.